Sony has been fined £250,000 over the PlayStation Hack that occurred in April 2011, due to a “serious breach” of the Data Protection Act, according to the BBC. According to the Information Commissioner’s Office, Sony could have prevented the hack by keeping security software up-to-date.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said that Sony’s security software was not up to date, and that the hack could have been prevented. The ICO also indicates that user passwords were not secure, and that names, addresses, dates of birth and payment card information could have been at risk.
Since the hack, Sony has stated that the PSN is more secure than ever. The ICO said that the security lapse was the “most serious it had ever seen,” and “there’s no disguising that this is a business that should have known better.” It’s clear that Sony has learnt it’s lesson and future hacking attempts will be unsuccessful.
Sony Europe will appeal against the fine, with a statement claiming “there is no evidence that encrypted payment card details were accessed,” and added that “personal data is unlikely to have been used for fraudulent purposes.”